Chapter 1

Wilma, the Fastest Woman in the World

Wilma Rudolph was born on June 23, 1940, in America.

She grew up in a poor family.

Wilma had a big family.

She was the twentieth of twenty-two children.

When Wilma was four years old, she got polio, so she couldn't walk.

Wilma and her family did not give up hope.

Several times a week, Wilma went to a hospital for African Americans with her mother.

The hospital was about 50 miles away from her home, but Wilma and her mother went to the hospital for several years.

Every night, Wilma's mother massaged her legs, and her brothers and sisters also massaged them four times a day.

Wilma tried hard to be able to walk again.

Thanks to her family and her strong will, Wilma was finally able to walk again at age twelve.

After she was able to walk, Wilma began to play all kinds of sports and found a love for running.

She was very slow at the beginning, but she didn't give up.

She tried very hard to succeed as an athlete.

Finally, at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the 400-meter relay.

Four years later, at the Rome Olympics, she won three gold medals for the 100-meter, the 200-meter, and the 400-meter relay.

After she retired from running in 1962, she became a teacher and school coach.

Later, she founded the Wilma Rudolph Foundation to help poor young athletes.

Wilma Rudolph is no longer alive, but she still lives in the hearts of many people.